growing fruit bearing avocado indoors. can it be done?

Hello first off I would like to say that this is my first post on this forum so i'm not even sure if this is in the right section but seeing as an avocado is a tree it seems right

I have read many articles online of people who grow avocado trees indoors as house plants that will almost never bear any fruit. Other articles say that if I want fruit I need to graft a branch of a different flower type to it. Now I want to know if I were to grow two trees of different flower types inside within close proximity to each other would they be able to cross pollinate and bear fruit?

Trying to get two different indoor trees to bloom in sync is very hard. There is such a tiny window of time in which blossoms are open and fertile.

I guess it can be done IF you buy a known self-fertile variety that does well in pot culture. Reports on success aren't all that easy to find, but at least a couple of people have gotten a fruit on a potted plant.

The two main self-pollinating varieties that are recommended are 'Don Gillogly' and 'Holiday' from what I can tell.

I have a seedling grown tree that I've had for 35 years as of last spring, it makes a nice potted foliage plant but never has shown any inclination to flower.

Ken, I want to respectfully disagree with your assessment of indoor avocado culture in terms of just growing the plant itself. They're actually incredibly easy to grow, and they don't suffer very many problems. The leaves are held for two years/growing cycles, as is pretty common with many broadleaved evergreens, and in their second year, mine do tend to get dry, brown margins, but those can be trimmed with scissors to keep the plant cosmetically acceptable. Otherwise, the are really easy. Indoors, they just want reasonably good light and to be watered on a timely basis.

And, of course, they love to go outside in the summer, where they'll put on a tremendous growth spurt.

I think ken is describing the chances of getting a fruit from the pit placed in the kitchen window after the guac was made. The chances of getting one from a mail-order house are somewhat higher, AIUI.

i said they would get a nice green plant... i just wouldn't go buying the lemons .. while waiting for something to eat ...

though i dont see where a mail order plant.. will overcome the need for high intensity lamps and humidity control indoors ... i suspect dan is referring only to the ability to get a flower that is self pollinating ..????

I tell folks to grow them to enjoy as plants, rather than with any fruiting expectations.

The humidity issue can be handled with a simple pebble tray. Last Fall, I dug up a
volunteer Avocado from the garden. I put it into a pot and kept it as a houseplant.
It's back ouside for the Summer, but I've kept it in its pot.

OK here is what I believe. You can do anything if you wan to. Nothing is impossible. You just have to put the effort into it. As for growing an avocado tree from the grocery store that will produce fruit forget about it. The growers purposelessly treat most store bought stuff for the very reason that people would try this. Go to a local nursery that you trust or a mail order nursery that seem trustworthy. Go for organic mainly because they believe in what they sell more so than others. Make sure the sapling is self pollinating. Make sure of that. Get all the facts such as soil temp water misting etc... Make sure you ask the seller because if they know less than you than it wouldn't be a good choice to buy from them. They should be able to explain exactly what you will need for success. I tried citrus trees and never got anything from them. One day I went into a restaurant and found that they had citrus growing and fruiting inside the restaurant. So just because one person doesn't have luck doesn't mean someone else can't.

Grew up on a AVO ranch in So. California. I am going to say big no , unless it is in a very large hot house w/the right conditions. Avo's don't put on fruit until they are over 6' tall. Grow it from a grocery store seed and it will need to be grafted to produce any fruit. Sorry!

"You can do anything if you wan to. Nothing is impossible." versus "As for growing an avocado tree from the grocery store that will produce fruit forget about it."

Hmmm.

"The growers purposelessly (maybe Don meant purposefully?) treat most store bought stuff for the very reason that people would try this."

Really? Where did you get that information?

"Go for organic mainly because they believe in what they sell more so than others."

Really? Where did you get that information?

"Make sure you ask the seller..."

The people that sell plants are very frequently not the best source of information about growing the plants. Most nurseries are in business to sell plants and often don't educate their employees sufficiently, even though doing so might very well be a net positive for their bottom line.

Don, I'm not trying to be a smart alec, but I really do wonder about the accuracy of much of your post.

You need a grafted tree rather than one grown from a pit, which can take many years before being able to bear fruit. And because avocados can get to be BIG trees, look for dwarf varieties if you intend to grow in a container. Otherwise, grow them much as you would a citrus tree, with very bright but indirect light indoors in winter, evenly moist soil, relatively high humidity (when indoors) and consistently warm temps.

Whether or not you actually get fruit is a bit of a toss-up. IME, fruit bearing plants grown out of zone/location or as partial houseplants rarely - if ever - produce fruit..........

Thanks for your response. It was my understanding that you cannot get avocados to fruit if you solely grow it as an indoor plant (which is not my intention).

Many fig trees are grown in this way (i.e. growing them outside in the late spring through fall and then sheltering them in the winter). The difference is that a fig tree will go into dormancy while a avocado will not (at least that is my presumption).

If one were to choose a cold hardy variety (like Mexicalo, Gainsville, etc.) and shelter it in the winter so that the temps stay between 25-30F, would it be possible to sustain an avocado tree in a container that would provide a harvest each year?

My thought is, since there is little to no people doing this, that the answer is no, but I was hoping to get a definitive on this.